The Rivers State Government has warned the Federal Government to shelve its plans to renovate some of the state-owned schools.
The Minister of State for Education, Chief NyesomWike, had last week promised that the Federal Government would soon begin to give some schools in the state a facelift.
Wike, who made the promise during the foundation laying for the Federal Junior Model Secondary School in Ogu/Bolo, specifically said the Federal Government would build additional classroom blocks at the Birabi Memorial Secondary in Bori, Khana Local Government Area.
The Minister also pledged to renovate and build more classroom blocks at Community Secondary School in Ubima, and Saint Aquinas Secondary School, Elele.
But the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. IbimSemenitari, said on Saturday that the Federal Government should stay away from the state-owned schools.
Semenitari, who spoke with newsmen at the press briefing on Native and Vogue International Fashion Week coming up on September 19 to 21, 2014 in Port Harcourt, explained that the minister should rather pay attention to the Federal Government Girls College, Abuloma, that had no dining hall.
“We want to tell the Minister of State for Education, NyesomWike, that we don’t want any third-rated buildings or blocks of classrooms in our school premises in Rivers State. The Rivers State Government is not interested in any white-wash buildings or performance in our schools.
“The minister has not done anything about Federal Government Girls College in Aboloma that does not have a dining hall; he has not done anything about the Federal Government College, Port Harcourt; and he has not done anything about the University of Port Harcourt.
“Let him go and build the nomadic schools that they have not been able to complete; let him go and attend to the nomadic schools that are falling apart. They have not been able to build schools for itinerant teachers.
“Wike should stop playing to the gallery; he should stop playing with the lives of Nigerian children and be focused in keeping our children in schools. Wike should be ashamed that Nigeria still has the highest record of out-of-school children,” the commissioner maintained.
Semenitari noted that the current administration would not allow any stranger to deface property belonging to the state, even as she urged the Federal Government to assist in constructing the Bonny-Bodo road.
“They (FG) refused to start it, but as soon as we worked out an arrangement with the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company to construct the road, the Federal Government told NLNG to stop and claimed that they will start it and awarded the contract. Up till now, the people of Bonny cannot ply that road.
“We have been careful in recent times not to join issues with the Federal Government because we have been focused on our paid jobs. We like to request the Federal Government to focus on its paid job.
“We have over 200 girls missing and Wike, as a father, should be concerned. But he has been unable to do his job as a minister to make sure the girls return to us,” she added.
Semenitari, however, dismissed claims that the state was indebted to the tune of N300bn, adding that Rivers has only the sum of N81bn to pay as debt.
Promising that the current administration in the state will not be leaving any debt for the incoming government, Semenitari said the state government was setting aside N11bn every month to service its debt profile
